We had a great Thanksgiving Day. Later in the day we met three other families at Cracker Barrel and then came back to our house to make Pilgrim hats and play. The kids were adorable, as usual, and it was really nice to spend time with old friends and new. We are thankful for the many blessings the Lord has allowed us to have here on earth such as our precious family and extended families and our precious friends. Be blessed!

Normally Sunday morning means getting ready for church, but today was a different Sunday. We, the kids and I stayed home, since Maggie Beth is still fighting off a cold. It was cute though because Hezekiah asked if we were going to church today and I said no. He was like, "Yeah, another day at home!" Too cute. So we read about Rahab and her helping the spies in the book of Joshua and after breakfast I played army men with Hezekiah & Eli, we played outside on the swing set (Maggie loves to "wing"), had popsicles, colored aliens, and we made sand jars.

My neighbor yesterday dropped off some art supplies that she no longer needed, stencils, construction paper, beads, popsicle sticks, and colored sand. So I had some old jars from years ago and I asked the boys if they would like to make sand jars and they were all into it. It was very messy, but well worth the mess. Later I even asked the boys what their favorite thing was that we did this morning and they told me playing with the sand.

I even had a really rewarding time of discipline with Hezekiah (if you can say disciplining can be rewarding........like a breakthrough to understanding how your actions affect others.....seemed like we were able to reach the heart issue with actual tears of sorrow for his actions and prayer time). So, even though I missed corporate worship, I feel I experienced a time of "family" worship with God this morning. Missed y' all.

Maggie Beth's hairs are getting long enough now to put them in pig tails. She had fun this morning letting mommy put her hair up and she enjoyed playing with my pig tails as well. She is just a pumpkin. She calls anything I put in her hair a "bow." She even asks for bows and points to her head. I think for Christmas that I will get her a bunch of hair bows. She is such a little peanut!

Today we, me and the kiddos, woke up to a beautiful day. Things were going really well, everyone was happy, eating their breakfast, doing what mommy asked them. Everyone was very pleasant and even little Maggie Beth with her crusty snot covered nose and fever was of good cheer. So, I was looking forward to a nice morning. I knew I had the boys flu shots this morning at 10 a.m., so I had planned already just taking the morning easy and not taking Hezekiah to school til after his flu shot. But, I had this inclination that I should call the doctor because poor Maggie is just so very mucous filled and wheezy and running a fever.......that I better get it checked out prior to the weekend. So, I called and they said, "How soon can you get here?" I am like 20 minutes...........Ha Ha Ha. But we do.

But we wait, wait, wait. Boys super good, took art supplies, toys, and were well-behaved the whole time keeping themselves occupied. Maggie Beth is a bit restless, that is expected though since she does not feel good. The doctor comes in at 10 a.m. (when we are suppose to be getting the boys flu shots) and checked Maggie Beth out, thankfully she has no ear infections or anything that the doctor can tell is going on except for a yucky cough, which of course I am super thankful for.

So, I go downstairs to get the boys flu shots and they are like, we are not giving seasonal flu shots now. I am like WHAT? Because I just had signed them up for them on Monday. So anyhow, I go back upstairs to our pediatricians office, then they call them and the people downstairs had made a mistake. Now mind you, I have all 3 kids and no stroller so we are carrying everything with us (remember all those toys, art supplies to keep kids occupied -- which sooooo worked)! Get downstairs once again, wait for them to call us in it is now 10:35 a.m. (we have been there over an hour) the poor girl (nurse) giving the shots I am not sure has dealt much with kids because my boys who normally sit and get their shots at the sound of her voice went ballistic. No kidding.

I was so shocked at their behavior. I mean super craziness! To the point that I was like forget it. I was trying to settle the boys down and I walk out to the waiting area with them and these older adults (grandparents I am sure) are watching what is going on with my boys wailing, scared to death, and they laugh at us!!! Can you believe the nerve? I couldn't, and I just looked at the man and woman and I said, "It's not funny. Really, it's not." I am not sure what made me sadder the fact that the 3 nurses trying to get my kids to have a shot were of no assistance in trying to make my children or myself feel more calm about it or the older people laughing not being any assistance to a mom with 3 wandering children, 2 of which are wailing. Where in the world are the more thoughtful, caring, helping angels when you need them? Because, I certainly needed one right then and well, there was not one. Oh, it makes me sad to think of how callous our society has become to the assistance of others. Come to think of it, during this situation, since we live so far from family the only one that I know that I really can count on to come and help me at any time is my husband and of course to call on God. Maybe I just need to open my eyes or to ask God to open my eyes more that I can see His angels (His helpers).

This morning we were reviewing our Bible story from yesterday on Balaam and the donkey and the angel standing in the road and how that donkey talked. How that donkey saved his life. Oh, I would have gone for a talking chair today to just help me calm down my kids. I was so saddened by their behavior, as we started to walk away when I was just going to forget about the flu shots and not worry about it, Hezekiah said, "But what about the lollipop?" I told him, "Well, if you want a lollipop you have to get your flu shot." So, he was brave and he did it and he got a lollipop. Eli put up a royal fight, but did it, and too got a lollipop. Maggie Beth got a "pop pop" too........because she was just wonderful. But what if the lollipop was my angel today? Or what if, like the donkey not normally behaving in a way to deter off the road........what if my kids were trying to tell me something and my eyes were just not open?

Lord, help me to know, to discern, to see what you want me to see. Help me today not just when I am old, but today to look at the needs of others and help them in a way that Lord they only see You. So, as I said at the beginning, "When I am older, I will never laugh at a mommy when her kiddos are throwing a royal fit because they are scared.........but instead ask.....can I help you somehow?"

Thanksgiving is almost here! Here are my Indians! Eli had his Thanksgiving feast at school yesterday and there were pilgrims and Indians. Hezekiah was an Indian his first year and last year he was a pilgrim. They are so cute. I was able to help out with the feast and saw all the cutie pies. This is my second year helping out with the feast and it is cute. Anyhow, we no longer had Hezekiah's Indian headrest but had a necklace he made. Maggie Beth had to try out the headgear too. So I have been singing to them the 1 little, 2 little, 3 little Indians, 4 little, 5 little, 6 little Indians, 7 little, 8 little, 9 little Indians, 10 little Indian boys (& girls).

Last night was an official sleepover. Hezekiah's friend Logan is moving back to Arkansas (boo hoo!) and so he told me, "But Mommy, Logan has not slept over at my house yet." So, I told Hezekiah that we would invite him and so it all worked out and last night was the night. I had 2 little boys very excited, because since Hezekiah and Eli share a room Eli gets the benefits of the sleepover too. Eli's buddy Dawson got to stay for a couple hours and his parents came back by to pick him up since he is only 3. Anyhow, we had bunches of fun playing outside til it got dark, playing inside, watching a movie and having popcorn, and then getting ready for bed, reading stories, and then crawling into bed, saying prayers, lots of giggles and excitement. Now, I thought that Hezekiah and Logan would be the excited ones, but I was surprised to find really the most excited person in the room was Eli, he was Mr. Bouncy Pants. Crack me up! Then finally Eli was the first to crash around 9:15, and Hezekiah and Logan around 9:30-9:45 p.m. Woo Hoo. Now, I told Logan that at any time he wanted to go home that he could just tell me and I would take him home. He was a little hesitant after talking to his parents on the phone, but we sang a song and the rest of the evening was fine. (I do not think either Hezekiah nor Eli would have done it, so we were proud of Logan). He quietly woke up at 5:30 a.m. and let me know that he was ready to go home. Crack me up! He had made it the whole night, but was ready at 5:30 a.m. Too cute. Anyhow, he told me, "Mrs. Gretchen, I saw that Hezekiah was sleeping, so I did not want to wake him. Can I go home now!" I told him, "Well, buddy you only have 3 more hours til your mommy and daddy come to get you, do you want to try and go back to sleep?" Logan, "No, Mrs. Gretchen, I am ready to go home now." Too funny. So I asked him a couple more times trying not to have to call his mommy at 5:30 a.m. But, I had to he was ready and I wanted to keep to my promise to take him home whenever he asked. So the sun started rising on the way to meet his mom at the 7-Eleven. Oh, if he had only waited one more hour my boys were up and wondering, "Where's Logan?" All in all the sleepover was a success! Thanks Jenkins! We will miss your friendship as you return home! Maybe the Lord will allow you to move back to Florida one day! God Bless!

This is how I found Eli this afternoon. However, something is missing. His face art. He really, honestly decorated his face with orange, green, black and yellow. He looked like a tiger. Oh my, I had to wash off his face. When he was playing I noticed some orange spots on his belly and lifted his shirt and was like, "No, really Eli your belly too?" So here is today's artistry.

This precious little girl, Maggie Beth is not spoiled. No, not at all! Oh, she is my love. At least one of them. It is so amazing how much you can love each one of the gifts God has given you! She is 18 months old now. Growing so fast. I try to drink up each day with her, I enjoy her little hand reaching for mine. Leading me to play with her in her kitchen, read her books, play blocks, or play dolls. I love when she lays her curls upon my shoulder and rests. She is my sweetheart and I love her, oh yes, I do! Oh my Maggie Beth, you are a precious addition to our family.

So Eli has more tattoos than his Uncle Roger! Tee hee! Today I opened Eli's door to get him ready to go pick up Hezekiah from school. I opened the door and I found this little fellow instead, Mr. Colorful! He absolutely loves to color and draw, so I allow him to take his markers and paper into his room and color at an impromptu desk that I make for him each day. He spends lots of times coloring. He even tells me some days, "Mommy, my hands are too tired to color anymore." But his hands get too tired to play cars, and read books too. It is his way of saying, "May I come out of quiet time?" Anyhow, I was surprised to see Mr. Colorful today. I videoed him telling me all that he drew on his body, I think he has a profession in the future, can you say Tattoo artist? What I think is pretty cool is that what he created on the right, he also created on the left. Very bilaterally symmetrical. So, I gave him a bath tonight and the markers are not so washable friendly. So if you see me tomorrow with Mr. Colorful, don't judge me.........I bathed him!

Saturday morning we were playing around and Hezekiah was at the black table with paper and markers. He was writing a sentence. His sentence was, "The granola boy who was smashed." Of course, his spelling was a bit different, it was, "The grnlu boy who wus smashed (he asked me to help him sound out smashed)." So here is my granola boy! He is getting so tall for only being 5, but 6 is here in 2 months. What a pumpkin. Isn't he just adorable?

Hezekiah got 3 of his classmates to try and help him dig to the pyramids in the sandbox on Monday. "The pyramids are in Egypt, ya know, in Africa," he said. They began Monday but the report on Wednesday was they still did not get there yet, but they have found treasures along the way and camel footprints. And some sort of pink treasure but he did not want to talk about that because pink is for girls. Yesterday the report was that the sandbox was closed, so today is the day! I hope he and his friends make it tothe pyramids today. So he can see the skeletons! Crack me up!

Page and I were having this conversation on our date the other night about what defines us, about who we are. And really the answer is simple. I am defined not by my education, not by where I work or do not work, not by what I wear, not by what I look like, not on how I perform at my job(s), not by what type of car I drive, not what type of clothes I wear, and not on what my children look like..........I am not defined by any of those things. I am defined by God, because I was created in His image. He has created me, it really does not matter what the world thinks, what my friends think, or even people I do not know think, because I am God's child. Created by Him, to love Him, and to honor Him, and to be used by Him. I am and you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

That is how we should be defined by how He has created us and how He works in us and uses us.

So what defines you?

Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

Do you get caught up in the worldly view of what man looks at and how man defines success? I do. I honestly do. But, I do not want to get caught up in that anymore. I want God to be pleased with my heart. I want my children and husband to know that I love them dearly and that I enjoy playing with them. I want to be defined as someone who pleases God and loves her family and who is a good friend! Wow, does God have a lot of work to do in me! Choose to let God define you.

Saturday we spent some of our time at some Fall festivals, it was like 90 degrees or maybe hotter so I would rather call it Summer festivals. The hottest one was earlier in the day at 11 a.m. I told the boys they were not dressing up in their costumes.......way too hot for that and anyhow we would have gotten there and they would have been miserable and would have taken them off anyhow. The one at 6 p.m. was a lot more bearable even though both were fun! The area was in the shade of their church and not as hot thankfully so the boys wore their costumes, Batman and Spiderman. Maggie Beth just went as Maggie Beth. Maggie was an old pro she walked up to each trunk, for trunk or treat and grabbed what candy she wanted put it in her pumpkin pail and walked on. She cracked me up, she was so as a matter of fact about it. We also went on a hayride and played a couple games. We had lots of trick or treaters at our house this year and gave out lots of candy. The boys went trick or treating to our neighbors and tried a couple of other houses but Hezekiah really got spooked at one house with haunted music, Page said he ran so fast he had to catch up with him. I really do not like the scary stuff so I am thankful for the festivals that the churches do put on. Poor kid, so needless to say Page brought the boys back rather quickly. I think they made it to only 3 houses. Here are our pictures of us enjoying the festivals. Oh, yeah and the bottom pictures are of the kids and their loot! I tell ya, we cannot keep Maggie Beth out of her pumpkin pail, she takes it everywhere and then will take each piece of candy out, look at it and try and put it in her mouth. She has been successful on a couple attempts actually getting into the wrapper. Oh, she is a mess. She has to know where that pumpkin pail is at all times. She even had to take it with us this morning to take Hezekiah to school. Oh, what candy will do to a youngling!